Research themes
- big data
- cohort studies
- development through the life course
- multigenerational research
- record linkage
- research platforms
Research interests
- population research, concept dictionary and glossary
- poverty and early childhood outcomes
- information-rich research environments
Keywords
- cohort
- data bases
- longitudinal
- multi-disciplinary
- population-based
- sibling
Research affiliations
Founding co-director, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy
Research groups
Manitoba Centre for Health Policy
Research summary
Dr. Roos is currently studying the influences of social circumstances from birth to successful adulthood on successful development.
The Manitoba databases permit making strong causal influences from longitudinal, quasi experimental data. In particular, the role of events at different life stages can be explored in powerful ways. For example, poverty can be measured by receipt of EIA (Employment Income Assistance).
The influence of family poverty on academic achievement can be studied looking at EIA in the prenatal period and at four childhood ages: 1-5, 6-9, 10-14, and 15-18.
Measures of academic achievement are available at age 5 (the Educational Development Index), age 9 (the provincial Grade 3 assessment measure), age 15 (the Grade 9 Assessment Index) and age 18 (two Grade 12 assessment measures).
Poverty early in life may carry over and affect later achievement.
We are able to compare siblings whose family received EIA at one time period but not at another (thus controlling for many family characteristics typically unmeasured).
Such an approach is broadly applicable across a number of independent and dependent variables; maternal and child health measures may be of particular interest.